Gemstone Jewelry 101: Everything You Need to Know About Cleaning Gemstones

Gemstone jewelry cleaning is different compared to diamond jewelry cleaning. Due to their specific and differing properties, gemstones require much more care when it comes to cleaning, both before and after you wear your piece of gemstone jewelry for the first time. Read on to learn how you can clean your gemstone without ruining its beauty.

Standard Cleaning

Most commonly-known gemstones can undergo the standard cleaning procedure, which involves using a toothbrush and soap to clean the top, sides, and underneath the stone. These stones include sapphires, rubies, spinels, aquamarines, morganites, amethyst, and citrine. An additional note: use fragrances and perfumes only before and after you wear gemstone jewelry as they can affect the brilliance of each stone and, in the case of pearls, they can even cause internal damage to the stone.

Some Exceptions

There are some other common gemstones that require slightly more care. Lapis shouldn’t be cleaned with chemical products, tourmaline and topaz stones shouldn’t be cleaned with hot water, and emeralds shouldn’t be cleaned with either. Due to the delicacy in its composition, chemical products can change the colour of a lapis stone very easily, tourmaline and topaz stones are structurally delicate and so sudden changes in temperature, along with vibrations, can cause internal damage to the stone, and emeralds are not only fragile like tourmaline and topaz stones but can also have their colour changed easily by chemicals like lapis stones, which is why it requires the most care out of all of these stones. As a result, the main way to clean these stones is with warm water, mild soap and a soft toothbrush whilst making sure to brush very delicately around each side of the stone.

Gemstones That Require The Most Care

The most delicate stones are pearls, opals, turquoise, and malachite which have to be cleaned very delicately due to how they can react to chemicals, hot water, fragrances and brushing. The main way to clean them is to use warm water, soap, and a soft brush. Toothbrushes are not soft enough for these stones and easily leave scratches, so a softer alternative is needed. Wipe the stone with a mixture of warm water and soap on a thin mesh rag, brushing only if dirt or grime remains after the initial wipe. When drying the stone, use a lint-free cloth to avoid leaving any marks on the stone. Make sure not to use chemical solutions as this can damage the stone.

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Want to learn more about gemstone jewelry? Book a free appointment with our Ecksand Experts, who will assist you not only in every way possible to ensure that your jewelry remains brilliant and beautiful.